Religion and the Public School Setting

Is there a place for interfaith discussions at public school. Eboo Patel says there's a need for students to discuss their own religions with one another. Can we do this in a public school setting? How? View his video then chime in with your comment. http://www.ifyc.org/about_movement

"It's not the time for anger, this is the time...to build the beloved
community." Dr. Martin Luther King

No matter what you're religious beliefs or ethnic background you are or
are not, you might be interested in viewing and listening to the ideas and
solutions of Eboo Patel.

"We need to find ways for people from different backgrounds to get to know
each other." He poses that brotherhood and understanding is the key to
disarming conflict, especially the conflicts and wars that are born from
religious misunderstandings. He says that too often it's children and teens
that are fighting wars around the world so it's important that we build
opportunities for children and teens to talk across the borders of faith,
especially as America's original policies were based on the ideals of
freedom and tolerance.

Patel shares that America is a nation where people from the four corners of
the world come together and it's our nation where open dialogue and
discussion is allowed happen. He tells the story of a man and his son
reflecting on their internment during WWII, "...[A]nd by your people I don't
just mean the Japanese, never let American forget about this, because
America is too good for what it did to us. [Japanese Internment]" The reason
there is freedom in America is due to the diversity that protects this
freedom. It's up to all of us to embrace our differences and learn about
each other so we have peace and tolerance instead of mistrust and conflict.

The Interfaith Youth Organization webpage says "Imagine a world where people
from different religious backgrounds come together to create understanding
and respect by serving their communities. This is the world we are
building."

Powerful stuff and a message that I personally had never considered,
especially in the public school setting.

Listen to his intelligent, inspirational and enlightening video from his
speech at Cincinnati's Freedom Center. What does this mean for public school
students? Can we have these discussions in school? What do you think? Feel
free to send me your comments after listening to his video in its entirety.
http://www.ifyc.org/about_movement

Bill Strickland Serves the Good Stuff

Talk about changing the world. Check out Bill Strickland's video and then go buy his book Making the Impossible Possible. He offers training, dignity and hope to people-in-need in Pittsburgh, PA.

Service Learning 101 from IBNA Annual Conference San Francisco

Thank you so much for attending my session at the IBNA Annual Conference in San Francisco. In Service Learning 101 you all collaborated to brainstorm service learning project ideas.

Hopefully you'll be inspired to use the PARC method to create a complete unit or lesson plan. If you do, please e-mail me so I can share your plan, reflection and/or photos and we can collectively celebrate your hard work.

Ideas for Future Service Learning Projects:

1) Dirty beaches: beach clean-up, video, reporting

2) Water usage (water unit): commitment (use Taking it Global?), use money saved on bill to buy a well

3) Adopt a child (Language Arts connection): donate $1 to Foster Parents' Plan, write and correspond using Language A or B

4) Shelter Project (Home Ec. Sewing, Technology, Industrial Arts: design and donate clothing to shelters, can also create a donation campaign collecting hotel/toiletries at airports

5) Adopt a school: student voice on what is needed, diaries, tsunami relief, natural disasters6) Interfaith Support/Understanding Group (world history/religion theme)

I hope you're inspired to take service to a new level by connecting it to your curriculum, including student voice and giving students a way to evaluate, reflect and celebrate their efforts.

The big question now belongs to all of us IB educators:

How can we inspire our teachers and students with The Power to Think and the Will to Act?

Maybe some of these projects can be posted on the Sharing Our Humanity site. Take lots of pics ok. I can post them here. Send me your Good Stuff!